Getting to Know You
by inthedreamatorium
Summary: This was their third Friday date night and Reid was already dreading it.


Title: Getting to Know You

Summary: This was their third Friday date night and Reid was already dreading it.

Rating: PG-13

Words: 2929

* * *

After a grueling day of work, Dr. Reid Oliver wanted nothing more than to kick off his shoes and collapse in front of the TV. Unfortunately, it was Friday. And Fridays, according to his mint-new boyfriend, Luke Snyder, was officially date night. Ever since their relationship became "official" (though Reid's not sure what officially made their relationship well, official), both men had become increasingly busy with their respective jobs. The new neurology wing was weeks from opening and there was still a lot that needed to be done. When Reid wasn't stuck in surgery, he was working with the architect. When Luke wasn't off saving the world at his foundation, he was meeting with contractors and donors. Even though Luke and Reid see quite a bit of each other at work, they're usually too exhausted in the evening to do anything more than order a pizza and pass out on the couch. After about three weeks of this, Luke apparently had enough and made Friday night _their_ night. No cell phones, no family, just _them_. This was the third Friday date night and Reid was already dreading it.

It's not to say Reid didn't like spending time with Luke –that was far from the case. But Luke was hell bent on using this opportunity to play a "getting to know you" game. It annoyed him. Last Friday, Luke wanted to learn about all of the different reasons he wanted to go into medicine. The Friday before that, Luke asked him about his coming out experience and all of his past relationships. Even though Reid typically loves being the center of attention, he really hates talking about his past. Luke knows the important things; that's all that should matter.

But Reid loves Luke. This is why he plays along with those games and why he begrudgingly dragged himself to the Lakeview. Luke was already seated and glancing over the menu when he arrived. He walked over and gave Luke a quick kiss on the cheek before settling down.

"Hi you," Luke greeted, with a smile that rivals the sun. "How was work?"

"The usual. Kicked some tumor ass, saved a young boy's life on the table, and made three nurses cry. All before lunch," he boasted, picking up the menu.

"Another brilliant day for Dr. Oliver," Luke teased, a smirk on his face.

The waiter came then and the men, who have eaten at the Lakeview countless of times, placed their drink order (red wine for Reid, ginger ale for Luke), their appetizer order (Reid always insists), and their entrée order. Reid then asked Luke how his day went and they gossiped a bit about Chris and Katie. Once their drinks arrived, they fell into a comfortable silence.

"So..." Luke started, breaking the silence (Reid internally groaned). "Tell me about your childhood. Where are you from? What were your parents like? What you did for fun."

Reid grabbed a bread stick and began to occupy himself, avoiding the questions. Luke wasn't amused. "Reid! Come on! I feel like you know so much about me and I know so little about you!"

"I don't know _that_ much about you, Mr. Snyder," Reid huffed. "Why don't you tell me about your childhood?" He took a huge bite out of his bread stick, chewing loudly and obnoxiously.

Luke sighed. Apparently his boyfriend was in a mood. "I have an idea. How about we take turns asking each other questions. They can be simple questions like, 'what's your favorite color,' or more heavy questions like, 'do you believe in God.' Or something like that."

Reid raised his eyebrows as he took a sip from his water. "Okay, I'll bite," he said, "but I get to go first."

Luke smiled brilliantly at him and leaned back into his chair. "Bring it on, Dr. Oliver."

"What's your favorite color?" he asked while taking another bite out of a bread stick, this time toning down the loud chewing.

"Blue," Luke said without a beat. "But only a certain kind of blue. I don't like dark blues or light blues. I like a medium blue." He studied Reid. "Kinda like your eyes, actually."

Reid felt self-conscious of his eyes all of a sudden. "My eyes? Really, Mr. Snyder? Nice line. Does it work on all of the boys you take out on dates?"

"Nope, my turn to ask a question," Luke said with a wink. "Where are you from?"

Reid groaned. He had been hoping to deter the questions off of himself. Silly him for thinking that he could get Luke's focus onto something else. Sighing, he just gave in. "Cambridge."

"Really?" Luke looked thoughtful. "Huh, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. What did your parents do there?"

But Reid shook his head. "Nah ah ah, Luke. It's my turn to ask a question." He paused to take a sip of his wine. "I know you have like, seven different dads. So tell me, what's your given name?"

"Luciano Eduardo Grimaldi," Luke replied with dramatic flair. "But Luciano Eduardo Snyder is my legal name." Reid stared. That was kinda hot. He'd have to remember that one.

The waiter came then, bringing the men their appetizers. Luke watched in amusement as Reid piled his plate full of food. "You're incredible," he muttered in awe.

"Why thank you," Reid replied. Or, at least that's what Luke thinks he said. It was kinda hard to tell with his mouth stuffed with food. He waited until Reid had swallowed before asking his next question. "So, what did your parents do for a living?"

"Unlike your parents, _Luciano_, my parents had real, boring jobs. My mom was a librarian at the public library and my dad was an engineer. They held the same job for over 20 years." Reid was eying the untouched bread stick on Luke's plate. "Are you gonna eat that?"

Luke shook his head, pushing his plate towards Reid. "When was the last time you saw them?" he asked, hoping to sneak in some more questions while Reid was seemingly distracted by buttering his bread.

Fortunately for him, Reid WAS distracted. "Ten some years ago."

Alarm bells went off in Luke's head. Ten years? He didn't like how that sounded. Family is important to Luke; he freely admits he's unusually close to his own family but to have no contact with them whatsoever is unfathomable to him. It makes him think about his future with Reid. Will he accompany Luke to the farm for Snyder dinners? Will he attend Faith's and Natalie's and Ethan's graduation? Their wedding? What about if they have their own kids? What kind of father would Reid be? Luke had a nagging feeling in his gut.

"Reid-" he started but was interrupted before he could voice his concerns.

"Luke, stop. I can see the wheels turning in your head. I can see you're wondering why it's been over ten years since I last saw my parents. The explanation is simple. They're dead."

Luke's mouth dropped. He was definitely not expecting _that_. "Dead? Reid... I'm so sorry I-"

"Please don't," Reid said, interrupting Luke again. "I don't want sympathy or pity or whatever. It happened a long time ago. I've made peace with it."

Luke nodded, acknowledging the firm end of the topic. He played with his fork, watching Reid eat. "What about siblings? Surely you have some?"

"Nope. Just me, myself, and I," Reid replied, burping quietly as he leaned back into his chair, rubbing his nearly full stomach.

Tilting his head to the side, Luke studied the man across from him. It didn't surprise him to hear Reid was an only child. He is clearly socially inept and always prefers to be alone. It made Luke sad thinking about it. Sure his siblings could drive him up the wall, but he wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. "Must have been lonely," he murmured.

"At times, yes," Reid shrugged. "But fending for myself made me the person I am today. Sometimes I wonder how I would have turned out if I had someone to play with while growing up but I get over the idea pretty quickly."

In the span of ten minutes, Luke has learned more about Reid and his past than the past eight months combined. It's amazing what a little bribing and a little food will do. He likes learning about what made Reid the man he is today. You're not born _that_ rude or _that_ obnoxious. Something had to have happened to make you be that way and Luke was slowly figuring Reid out.

"Mr. Snyder, you're asking way to many questions. I think most people consider that cheating. MY turn. How many times have your parents been married?"

Luke, still idly playing with his fork, looked thoughtfully in the distance. "Oh wow. I gotta think about this one," he chuckled lightly. "Lily and Holden Snyder have been married two -no wait, three times. Each time ending in divorce, of course."

Reid stared at Luke again, his mouth agape. He leaned in closer, as if he hadn't heard correctly. "I'm sorry, but did you say your parents married _each other_ three times? I initially meant how many times they've been married to other people but holy shit, _three_ times?"

Luke sadly smiled. "Ha, yep. My parents' have a pretty intense history. I may be wrong but I think my mother has been married seven times -three times to my dad and twice to Damian- and my dad five times." Reid couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Now you know why I'm so screwed up when it comes to love and relationships," he joked.

"Jesus Christ," Reid replied softly. "No kidding." He looked at the man across from him, the man who loves everyone and anyone unconditionally. How did this remarkable man survive the ups and downs of his parents' love lives? No wonder he stayed with Noah for so long. It was all he was used to. "Luke, just so you know... I'm not like that."

"What do you mean?" Luke looked puzzled.

"I mean that I don't do the breaking up-getting back together-breaking up-getting back together thing. I'm not like that. I don't like yo-yos. I never have." He was trying to make it clear to Luke he would never do to him what Lily and Holden had being doing to each other for years, what Noah had been doing. Yet he also wanted Luke to understand he won't tolerate it either. He locked eyes with Luke, trying to tell him all of this and more. Luke seemed to get the message after a beat or two, nodding his head and smiling slightly, his eyes still locked with Reid's.

The intense moment was broken by the waiter bringing them their entrees. Reid's eyes sparkled and his stomach, which was considerably full only moments ago, began to growl. Luke loved watching Reid like this. He looked so young and excited; he wonders if this was how a young Reid was like on Christmas morning.

The two men enjoyed their meal in silence. Reid, although known to occasionally engage in conversation with his mouth full, preferred to eat in silence. Luke didn't mind; he actually preferred it too. It allowed him to pay attention to the subtle things Reid does when he thinks no one is paying attention. Like how he always eats the things on his plate in counter clockwise order. Or how he always squirts ketchup on top of his French fries rather than dipping them into the sauce. Or how he always gives his wine a swirl before taking a sip. These are small things most people wouldn't even pay any attention to, but Luke relishes these things. He absolutely cannot get enough.

After about fifteen minutes of silence, Luke glanced up from his food to notice Reid was watching him. Luke blushed again and looked around. "Why are you staring?"

"I saw you at the hospital yesterday afternoon. But there weren't any meetings and you didn't stop to see me. What were you doing there?"

Luke, his heart pounding, chuckled nervously. "Hey now, I think it's my turn to ask the question!"

But Reid shook his head. "You're trying to avoid this. Why?" Luke bit his lip and looked down. The fact that he didn't want to tell Reid was starting to scare him. Was he there seeing someone else? Was something wrong with him? "Luke, you were the one who made a big fuss about keeping things from each other. And now you're doing it to me. We need to trust each other, remember? Tell me."

Luke's eyes were still looking down when he felt Reid's hand cover his own. He studied the other man's hand. It was slightly smaller than his but it was smoother, less rough. Reid took care of his hands; they were his lively hood, his entire life. And one was currently wrapped around Luke's hand, reassuring him, comforting him. It gave him the courage to look up and tell Reid the truth.

"I was there yesterday, you're right," he started slowly. "I was there meeting my nephrologist."

"Your nephrologist? You mean –"

"I had a kidney transplant five years ago," he interrupted, quietly confiding the truth. Luke's not sure why he was so scared to tell Reid. Maybe he was afraid if Reid learned how damaged Luke was, how messed up of a life he has –had—, Reid would run away, leave him. He's never felt more insecure.

Reid was unusually quiet, processing what Luke just confessed. But his hand never left Luke's, which Luke took as a good sign. After what seemed like hours to Luke, he finally asked the one question he was dreading the most. "Does this have something to do with your alcoholism?"

Luke had mentioned to Reid a couple of times that he was an alcoholic, but this was the first time Reid actually said the words. It sounded ugly coming out of his mouth and it only made Luke feel worse about the situation. "Luke, you can trust me," Reid murmured.

Luke did. So he told him the ugly truth. About how he started drinking when he was fifteen. About how he used to sneak vodka bottles out of his grandmother's cabinet. About how he drank so much, he needed a new kidney. About how even though the transplant was a success, he continued to drink because he was gay and couldn't deal with it. Luke told Reid all about Jade and Kevin, about how his parents tried to send him to a camp to try and make him straight. He told Reid all about Lily's accident and Ethan's birth. Luke talked about his relapses and the temptations he fights every day. Reid said nothing as Luke talked; he just listened. He knew his family situation was fucked up, but actually hearing about it made his heart ache in ways he never thought possible. He had the sudden urge to protect Luke, to tuck him in his arms and carry him away from his god awful past.

Luke finished, feeling anxious. "I'm pretty messed up."

Reid vehemently shook his head. He leaned forward, his other hand reaching for Luke. "No. Your _parents_ are the messed up ones, not you. It's a miracle you survived."

Something had changed in Luke. Reid wasn't running away, he wasn't screaming for the hills. He was here, with Luke, being caring and wonderful. "Thank you," he said softly.

"For what?" Reid asked, confused.

Luke smiled shyly at his boyfriend. "For not running away. For believing in me."

"Oh Luke, come on now. Of _course_ I believe in you. And I know that must have been difficult to share, so thank you for being honest with me." He paused. "But I have to ask, your appointment yesterday... is there anything... I mean, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," he reassured Reid. "It was just a monthly check-up, that's all. Everything is ok. _I'm_ ok."

"Good," Reid murmured, kissing Luke's hand. "You take care of yourself. For me." Luke slipped his hand out of Reid's grasp and leaned over to cup his cheek.

"I promise."

Reid leaned into the touch, relishing the feel of Luke's warmth on his cheek. "Why don't you say we skip the dessert, grab the bill, and cuddle up on the couch with a movie?" he suggested.

"Dr. Oliver!" Luke gasped. "Are you openly admitting to being a cuddler?" He gestured for the bill.

"Hey now. You tell anyone about this and I'm just going to straight out and deny it."

Luke laughed as he signed the check. As they walked out of the restaurant, Reid slipped his arm around Luke's waist. Despite the fact they typically shy away from PDA, Luke allowed himself to be folded into Reid's side. He fits perfectly.

"I have an idea," Luke suggested. "How 'bout we play a game?"

Reid groaned. "Now what?"

"I was thinking of a, 'getting to know you,' kind of game."

"Luuuuuke. Not again," Reid complained. He broke away from Luke when they reached his car. "No offense, but I hate this game. Let's play chess or Monopoly or _something_ else."

Luke grabbed Reid suddenly and kissed him. Hard. Pulling away only when air was needed. Their foreheads were touching, their breath, labored. "No, Reid," Luke whispered. "Not _that_ kind of game." He pulled his head away and raised an eyebrow. "If you get what I mean."

"Oh. _Oh_. I think I just might like this game after all."


End file.
